Pakistan summons US ambassador after Trump’s Twitter attack

The Pakistani foreign ministry summoned the U.S. ambassador on Tuesday, according to a Reuters report, one day after President Donald Trump declared online that Pakistan had repaid U.S. government funding with “lies & deceit” in the fight against terrorism.

The U.S. embassy in Islamabad confirmed to Reuters that the meeting had taken place.

On Monday, Trump wrote online: “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!”

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said Trump’s rhetoric amounted to misplaced frustration stemming from the ongoing fight against Taliban militants in Afghanistan. He also said Pakistan does not need U.S. help or support.

Pakistan’s commitment to combating terrorism in its region has long been a source of frustration for the U.S. government. While it has ostensibly been an ally in the years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Pakistan has been accused of harboring Taliban fighters in its tribal regions along the Afghan border and turning a blind eye to the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network.

Multiple prominent terrorists have been killed inside Pakistan, most notable Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a U.S. raid on a compound located in the same city as the Pakistani military academy. Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour was killed by a U.S. drone strike inside Pakistan in 2016.

The Pakistani government has long disputed the notion that it is less than a full partner in combating terrorism. Pakistan’s prime minister on Tuesday is expected to convene a Cabinet meeting that will focus on Trump’s criticism.